Rod catcher



March 12, 1940.

FIG.

E. V. WATTS ROD CATCi-IER Filed April 4, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l EUCLID V. WATTS INVEN TOP uromvsr March 12, 1940. E WATTS 2,193,183-

ROD CATCHER Filed April 4, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 g mmmuuuumuuuuunuumu m H F l I 5 v 0mm. 4 1 1! 5 1 &f4 gal/ ge? a 22% W w A} .l 0 3 59 9 4 a mnw m m z m a a wsmwsw a. 33

March 12,' 1940. E, v. WATTS ROD CATCHER Filed April 4, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 14

FIG.15

EUCLID V. WATT S YINVENTOR 4 TTORNEY Patented Mar. 12,: 3

umrm stares rarest orrics Ron oAronEa I Euclid v. Watts, South Pasadena, Calif. Application April 4,1938, see-. 1 No. 200,046.

claims. (o1. 255 --f2s) ployed When along stringer" sucker rods breaks intermediate its ends, the lower rods and compcnent parts are often permanently damaged by the forceful impact created when the pump plunger comes to rest in the bottom of the pump barrel. This sudden impact load usually causes bending and distortion] and metallic fractures of the rods comprising the string and thereby shortens the duration of their usefulness. I have found'that, by interposing one ormore safety catchers intermediate the upper and lower poi",-

tions of the sucker rod string as it is lowered into a well; any serious damage to the strings of rods and to the pump barrel is eliminated when 5 breakage occurs.

The principal object of the :present' invention is to provide a catcher for sucker rod strings that utilizes the elongation of the metal in the weight supporting members of the fluid lifting mechanism to impart movement to a triggerfor automatically releasing connected parts.

Another object of the. invention is to provide a rod catcher that is. actuated by means of relative reactionarymovements oftelescoping parts when breakage occurs: in a string of sucker rods.

A still further object of theinventi-on is to] provide a deep well sucker rod catcher of an expanding type that will automatically grip the inner walls of the well production tubingwhen a break in the string of sucker rods occursm Still another obfiect of the invention istopro videa quickac ting rod catcher in which the central'bcdy of inverted pyramidical configuration is adapted to create expanding movements to component parts. h

With the above and other objects inview, which appear as the description proceeds, theinvention resides innovel; construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in, the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention, may be made as come Within the scope of the. claims.

. catcher body In the accompanying drawings are illustrated a complete example of a preferred physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof together with a modifiedform.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of an oil well shown in Vertical section and illustrates the invention in position therein;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my catcher illus-. trated in a-fragment of an oil well production tubing shown in a central vertical section; I i

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on a line 3-3 of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line fi,fl of Fig.2; V v

Fig. 5is across sectional View taken on the line 5-5 ofFi'gr2; Fig. 6' is a verticalsectionalview of the catcher illustrating the trigger mechanism of the device in a-released position;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a fragment'of the Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a well production tubing illustrating the catcher in vertical section and expanded against the walls of 'the'tubingj i Fig; 9i-s an end elevationof one of the shoes; Fig. 1031s a perspectiveview of the body drawn" ata reduced scale; I I Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view, of one of the shoes and taken onthe line i l |l of Fig. 9

Fig. 12 is a crosssectional view showing a plan view of the stand-off and taken on the line Figfl3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View of a well production tub-ingshowing a modified form of the invention therein, with the parts in a contracted position; and i Fig. 14 is a fragmentary central vertical secparts in an expanded and operative position.

In! the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designatesimilar parts throughout, and referring particularly to-QFigs. 1. to. 12 inclusively which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral i, designates a conventional vertically disposed deep well production tubing, 2 the lower portion of a sucker rod to which a tubing member 3 is secured. invthe present instance by means of threads 4.

i 5 designates a vertically disposed body the lower portion. of which is provided with two oppositely disposed lateral inclined surfaces which form an tion -.of the modified form and illustrates the inverted pyramid as at 6-6, the upper portion of the body being provided with a threaded concavity 7, to which tubing member 3 is secured by and is secured in position in the lower portion of cylinder 4| by means of screw threads as at 47.

means of threads 4. A trigger rod 8, having a head or flange 9 at its upper extremity and usually formed integrally therewith which fits into receptacle ill, isslidably passed through apertures ii and E2 extending axially through the tubing member 3 and body 5, respectively. The lower end of the trigger rod 3 protrudes into a recess l3 formed in the lower portion of the body 5 and is adapted to have threaded thereon a cylindrically formed trigger M which may be locked into position by means of a lock nut 15.

A'sleeve it is slidably mounted on the tube .member 3, and is provided with lugs I'l -ll and apertures l8|8 into which journal pins l-Q-JQ are inserted for pivotally attaching links (lit-2d,

the lower ends of which are pivotally attached by means of journal pins 2l2l in apertures 22-22, provided in the upper extremity of slips or shoes -.23--23. A helical spring 24 of the expansion type is passed over the tube member 3 and shoulders against the lower face of the sleeve l6 and the upper face of the body 5,,thereby creating a continual upward pressure against the sleeve I6. I

The shoes 23-23 are provided with a plurality of arcuately formed serrations 25 on their outer surfaces which are adapted to grip theinterior wall of the production tubing vl.

26 designates inclined bearing surfaces: on the inwardly disposed surfaces of the shoes 2323 into which longitudinally disposed dovetailed channels 2l--21 are provided to receive mating dovetailed guide bars 2B28 and which are preferably formed integrally with the body 5, thereby providing a sliding means of contact between the said shoes and body. Vertically disposed pawls 2929 may be pivotally mounted. on the lower portion of the body 5 by means of journal pins 3l3-30, the upper ends of which have teeth 3 l -3l engaging with notches 32-32 in the, lower portion of shoes 23--23. Leaf springs 3333 vanchored at their lower extremity by means of screws 3434 are adapted to exert an inward pressure on the heel portions 35--35 of the pawls 29, thereby forcing the inner faces of said heel 36-36 desiga downwardly extending sucker rod which is at-- tached to the lower end of the body 5 preferably by screw threads as at 40. 1

Referring to Figs. 13 and 14, which illustrate a modified form of the invention; I provide a cylinder 4| which is secured in a conventional manner at its upper end to a sucker rod 42, a piston like flange 43, which loosely fits in the cylinder ll and is formed at the upper extremity of a tube M,

which has loosely fitted over it a heavy duty helical expansion spring 45 shouldering at its upper end on the bottomface of the flange 43, the said spring preferably being formed of square spring steel.

A spring retainer 46 is passed over the tube 44 418 designates an axially disposed aperture in the tube M1 through which a trigger rod 49 is slidably passed, its upper extremity being fixed in the respect to the cylinder 4|.

head portion of the cylinder 41 by means of screw threads as at 50. The lower portion of the said trigger rod is slidably passed through the axially disposed aperture l2 in body 5 and extends through the lower portion thereof enough to provide for the trigger M as described herein when referring to the preferred embodiment of the invention. The lower portion of the tubing 44 is likewise attached to body 5 which is provided with component parts identical in appearance and in operation to those illustrated and described when referring to Figs. 1 to 12 inclusive.

In the operation of the device it will be readily seen that when a break occurs in the sucker rod string, the decreased load on the tube member 3 will cause an instantaneous retraction of the lower end of the body 5, an amount coinciding with the elongation afiorded by the elasticity of the rod metal, when subjected to the load of the sucker rod string. This retraction does not move the trigger rod ortrigger as the rod is loose enough to permit a sliding action of-the parts through which it is passed. Retract movement is great enough adjacent the trigger 14 to cause the heels 35, of pawls 29; to move upward sufficiently to release them from engagement with the trigger M thereby inducing an inward movement of the springs 3333 which pivotally releases the pawl teeth 3! from the notches 32. Disengagement of the said pawl teeth and notches simultaneously release the expansion spring 24 to impart an upward movement to the sleeve 16 and by means of the links as lift the shoes 23-23 up ward simultaneously.

An upward movement of the shoes 23 causes an expansion action of the catcher in direct proportion to such upward movement due to their inclined paths of travel. When the spring 24 imparts a predetermined travel to the sleeve It the shoes 23 engage against-the interior walls of the production tubing I after which any downward pressure transmitted to.the body 5 forces the arcuately formed serrations into a tight gripping position, as best illustrated in Fig. 8, of the drawings.

It will thus be seen that the directly opposed inclined surfaces on the body 5 form an intense wedging action and that the paths of travel of the shoes 23 are guided by the mating dovetailed channels and guides 21 and 28 respectively. A downward load imposed on the body 5, such as the weight of a broken sucker rodstring, is of such a magnitude to exert enough outward pressure on the shoes 23 tocatch and retain an entire string of sucker rods, thereby protecting both the rods and the pump chamber from damage when a break occurs.

The modified embodiment illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14 of .the drawings reduces the length of the trigger rod appreciably as the construction is adapted to utilize a heavy duty helical spring that, when under load in operative position, will support the entire'sucker rod string below it.

When a break occurs in the rod string, the compression load on the spring 45 becomes zero permitting it to expand and impart an'upward movement to the tube 44 and the body 5 with ment of the tube 44 releases the pawls 29 inasmuch as the trigger and trigger rod are mounted in a fixed or stationary relationship with respect to the cylinder 4|. It will be observed that the travel of the tube 44 is regulated by the spring 45 and the flange 43.- Y

This relative move- After the pawls 29 are released'the operation 5 aiosn ss of the body andthe sliding shoes 23 -23 are identical to the action described-herein: when referring to the preferred" form. The relative travel of thetube 44 andflange With respect to the cylinder 4| and the trigger rod 49' canbe greatly increased, as the movement of thetubing is dependent upon the reaction of the heavy duty springs 15, which may beas great as one inch or more as opposed'to small fractions of an inch when actuated by means of elongation in tube 3 in the preferred embodiment.

It willbe understood that various changes in the details of construction may be made without departing'fromthe spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I- claim as my invention:

1. A rod catcher of the class described, comprising: a body having inverted pyramidically formed lateral faces and anaxially disposed aperture; a plurality of notched shoes slidablyengaged with said lateral faces; a tubular member connected to the upper end of said body; a trigger rod having one extremity anchored in the upper end of said tubular member and its-body portion slidably engaged axially in the tubular member and in the body and having its lower portion provided with a trigger member; a plurality of pawls, pivotally mounted on said body, engaging with notches in said shoes and with the trigger, and means for imparting an upward and expanding movement to said shoes when said pawls are released from engagement with the notches.

2; A deep well described, comprising: a vertically disposed hollowbody having angularly disposed lateralfaces; a plurality of shoes having convexed arcuately formed serrations onthe outer faces thereof and slidably mounted on" said body; a vertically disposed tubular member havingits'lower end connected tothe upper endof said body and its upper end connected to a sucker rod; a trigger rod slidably mounted in the longitudinal axes of the said body and tubular member and having its upper end anchored in said tubular member and its lower end provided with a trigger; detents associated with said body, said shoes, and said trigger in a manner to hold said shoes in downward position until released by motion of said trigger relative to said body, and pressure means imparting an upward movement to said shoes simultaneously with releasing action of said detents.

3. A sucker rod catcher of the class described, comprising: a body having inverted pyramidically formed lateral faces; a tubular member attached to the upper end of said body; a plurality of notched shoes slidably engaged with said body; a

trigger rod slidably engaged in axially disposed apertures in said body and in said tubing and having one end anchored in the upper extremity of the tubing member and its opposite end openly protruding through the lower portion of the said body; a trigger member on lower extremity of said trigger rod; pawls pivotally mounted on lower portion of said body having one end engaging with notches in said shoes and the opposite end engaging with said trigger member; spring means for releasing said pawls from said notches when retractional movement of said body exceeds predetermined limits, and pressure means imparting an upward and expanding movement to said shoes simultaneously with releasing action of said pawls.

l. A sucker rod catcher of the class described,

sucker rod catcher of the class comprising: a body" having inverted pyramidically formed lateral faces; a tubular member attached'tothe upper end of. saidbody; a plurality of notched shoes slidablyengaged withsaid body; a trigger rod slidably engaged in axially'disposed apertures in said body and in said tubing and having one end anchored in th'e upper extremity of the tubing member and its opposite end openly protruding through the lower portion of the said body; a trigger member on lower extremity of saidtrigger rod; pawls pivotally mounted on lower portion of said bodyhaving one end engaging with notches in said shoes and the opposite end engaging with said trigger member; spring means for releasing said pawls from said notches when retractional movement of said body exceeds predetermined limits; a sleeve slidably mounted on the said'tubular member; connecting links pivotally attached intermediate said sleeve and said shoes, and spring means interposed between said sleeve and upper face of said body for producing an upward and expanding movement to said shoes simultaneously with the releasing action of said pawls.

5. A deep well sucker rod catcher of the class described comprising: a body having inverted pyramidically formedlateral faces; a tubular member attached to the upper end of said body;

a plurality of notched shoes slidably engaged with said body; a trigger rod slidably engaged in axially disposed apertures in said body and in said tubing and having one end anchored in the upper extremity of the tubing member and its opposite end openly protruding through the lower portion of" the said body; a trigger member on lower extremity of said trigger rod; pawls pivo ally mounted on lower portion of said body having one end engaging with notches in said shoes and theopposite end engaging with said trigger member; spring means for releasing said pawls from said notches when retractional movement of said body exceeds predetermined limits; a stand-oif with vertically disposed fins radiating from hub mounted centrally on lower portion of said body; a sleeve slidably mounted on the tubular member and connected to said shoes, and a helical spring interposed between said sleeve and said body for expanding the shoes against the inner walls of. the well, simultaneously with the releasing action of said pawls.

6. In a deep well rod catcher of the class described, the combination of: a production tubing; expansible notched shoes; a vertically disposed body mounted intermediate said shoes and having lateral sides inclined at opposed angles and engaging with mating angular faces on said shoes;

- a tubular member attached to said body; a trigger rod slidably engaged axially with said body and said tubular member and anchored at one extremity; pawls pivotally mounted on lower portion of said body and engaging notches at the lower extremity of said shoes; a trigger attached to said trigger rod engaging said pawls with said notched shoes and adapted to release said pawls when retractional movement of lower portion of said body exceeds predetermined limits; spring 7 means adapted to exert a pressure on heel portion of said pawl for accelerating disengagement with said shoe, and a spring operated sliding sleeve with associated links adapted to force said shoes against inner walls of the production tubing.

7. A sucker rod catcher of the class described comprising: expansible sliding shoes; a body member interposed between said shoes and adapted to support the load of a sucker rod string; a tubular member attached to upper extremity of said body; a trigger rod, anchored at one end, passing axially through said body and said tubular member; a spring operated sliding sleeve, mechanically linked to said shoes, on said tubular member, and trigger means at the unanchored end of said trigger rod associated with pawls adapted to retain spring pressure on the sliding assembly containing said shoes and said sleeve, said trigger and pawls adapted to release spring pressure on said assembly by retractional movement imparted to pawls when load is re,- leased from said body.

8. A sucker rod string catcher of the class described comprising: expansible sliding shoes; a body member interposed between said shoes and adapted to support the load of a sucker rodstring; a tubular member attached to the upper end of said body and provided with a flange at its upper extremity; a spring operated sleeve slidably mounted on said tubular member and adapted to expand said sliding shoes; a hollow cylinder interposed between said tubular member and the upper sucker rod connection and provided with a spring retainer at its lower end; spring means interposed between said flange and said spring retainer; a trigger rod slidably engaged in when the load on the said cylinder spring be- 9. A rod catcher of the class described comprising: expansible notched shoes; a vertically disposed body mounted intermediate said shoes and having lateral faces inclined at opposed angles and engaging with mating angular faces on said shoes; a tubular member adapted to be structurally incorporated in a sucker rod string and to be elastically deformed by the load to which it is thereby subjected; a spring-operated sliding sleeve mounted on said tubular member; pivotally connected links interposed between said sleeve and said shoes; pawls pivotally mounted on the lower portion of said body and engaging notches at the lower extremity of said shoes; trigger mechanism engaging said pawls with said notched shoes; and means, actuated by the elastic recovery of said tubular member when relieved of load, for releasing said pawls to cause an upward movement of said sleeve and shoes, said shoes and said body having dovetailed grooves and guides on'said lateral inclined surfaces adapted to slidably engage with each other and direct the upward movement of said shoes relative to said body.

10. A sucker rod catcher comprising: means capable of supporting the sucker rod string by engagement with the well tubing, said means being arranged to be inoperative during the normal operation of said rod string; trigger mechanism comprising members attached in substantially fixed longitudinal relation to two distinct regions of said sucker rod string and means, actuated by a predetermined relative movement of said members, for rendering said supporting means operative; and an elastic member, structurally incorporated in said rod string between said regions of attachment, capable of sufiicient elastic recovery when relieved of load to produce said predetermined relative movement of said trigger mechanism members.

EUCLID V. WATTS. 

